Sony 27-inch OLED panel may be LCD killer

LAS VEGAS: Sony has one million reasons why it should mass produce a 27-inch (68cm) prototype OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) television that is on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week.

The screen has a contrast ratio in excess of 1,000,000:1, which is several times higher than its nearest competitor, and if mass produced efficiently, it could become the technology that challenges LCD and frees the Japanese company from its links with Korean manufacturer, Samsung.

On its stand, Sony exhibited an 11-inch (28cm) OLED display and a 27-inch OLED display. According to the demonstrator at the location, his voice has become hoarse from explaining the product’s acronym to the crowd, which has remained at a minimum of five people deep since the show opened this morning.

According to Sony, the 27-inch 16:9 screen features full high definition resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 and brightness which ranges from 200cd/m2 when all white to greater than 600cd/m2 at its peak. The 11-inch OLED screen offers 1024 x 600 pixels (SVGA) but it also claims the same brightness and contrast ratio.

In a speech delivered by Sony Corporation chairman and chief executive officer, Howard Stringer, on 4 October 2005 in Tokyo, titled ‘Sony’s revitalization in the changing CE world’, he said: “Sony will continue to invest aggressively in next generation display device technologies with particular emphasis on Organic Light Emitting Diode or OLED technology which we think shws great promise for both mobile and home devices”.

The only other OLED on display at CES was from LG.Philips in a small room off the main floor. The LG.Philips OLED boasted a 2.4-inch (6cm) screen size with 240 x 320 pixels, a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and brightness of 250 cd/m2.